Shogun Immortal
by Tanis Grey
Summary: When Death gets tired of the Senselessness of her job and decides to pick/make a champion to help humanity nothing is ever the same. This is the story of her champion and the trials he goes through. Original story.


**Shogun Immortal**

Prologue

1997 Overlooking Tokyo Japan

The Shogun looked down the road to the still burning city of Tokyo. The battle to take back the city had lasted all day. They had won but only barely. Thanks to his foresight losses to his men were few, and planning had ensured that those wounded were treated quickly. He would order the older Samurai to rebuild the city as quickly as possible. There must be no delay, the city was too important.

His vision began to blur and he saw the assassin creeping along the rubble on the side of the road. With blurring speed his katana was out of its scabbard and in the guard position, he summoned his inner strength and the blade began to glow. Young lord Takami, his bodyguard, reacted quickly, drawing his own sword and then facing the other way to protect his masters back. The assassin leaped over the last of the rubble and threw the grenade.

'Haven't these fools learned thier lesson yet?' he thought as he swatted the grenade back towards his assailant. The grenade exploded in the air behind the assassin. The assassin screamed as the grenade's shrapnel tore his back and head to shreds. The dead assassin landed in a heap, blood oozing from his broken body. With a sigh, the Shogun returned his Katana to its scabbard.

"Another try," He mumbled, "so soon after the last."

"They would not get the chance to try so often if you would stay with the rest of the men Lord Taylor." Lord Takami scolded while returning his sword to its scabbard.

"No, that wouldn't stop them from trying. There would just be more opportunity for the others to get hurt."

"My lord you would be better protected that way. I don't understand this obsession you have with being alone. You could at least bring the rest of your guard with you." Lord Takami answered.

"We've discussed this already Takami, I have my reasons."

"Yes Lord we have," Lord Takami muttered, with a sigh of resignation, he continued. "I just wish that you weren't so stubborn about it."

"How many times must we have this discussion Takami?"

"Until you see that you are a target," he sighed, "master you show so much wisdom in other areas. Why can't you see that you need to be protected?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Yes you can, but you must remember that you are still human. All humans make mistakes, especially if they push themselves as hard as you do."

"Okay, we'll talk about it later."

Shogun Taylor returned his attention to the burning city, and the lines of refugees walking from the city to the makeshift camp. He wondered, as always, what those three troublemakers Death, Fate, and Cupid were up to. Then his thoughts trailed off to the explanation from Death of how this had all started.

Chapter 1

1800's United States South

He sat there, the noose around his neck and his hands tied behind his back. The horse whinnied and started moving forward as the man in the white hood pulled on the reins. The other men in white hoods laugh as he slips off the back of the horse. Time slows as he falls until he comes to a stop with a snap. He hangs there, swinging back and forth. He sees the men get on their horses and ride off. The swinging slows and he sees the rest of his family. They had hanged them all, one by one; he was the last.

He hung there for what seemed like only a few minutes, his vision blurring. He thought he saw a rider coming towards him. He tried to hold on, tried to move his legs to show the rider that he was still alive, but his legs wouldn't move. He got his first clear glimpse of the rider when he was twenty feet away. The rider was wearing a black hooded robe, a strange thing to be wearing in these parts. He only hoped that the rider would hurry up and get him down soon. Time seemed to drag on, but finally the rider reached him.

The rider dismounted and then lowered him to the ground. The rider sat beside him and then he noticed the rider was a woman. He couldn't see her figure since the robe concealed it, yet, now he could see her face. Her face was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The one feature of her face he noticed most were her emerald green eyes. The only other distinguishing feature that caught his eyes was her long crimson red hair. She placed his head on her lap and shushed him as he tried to speak. "Your throat is crushed, and now it is time for you to go," she said in a voice of pure music.

Tears flowed down his face. She held him close and hummed a lullaby, the same lullaby his mother used to hum to him when he was a child. She held him that way until he took his last breath. For the first time ever tears rolled down her face. Where the tears hit the grass it turned brown and died.

The angels came then and took him from her. One of the angels put a hand on her shoulder and a thought passed between them. "Sister, this is the way of things. You have done this since the first soul was created, and you will continue until the last has died. Why do you cry?"

The rider stood and pushed away from the angel.

"Sister," the angel continued aloud, "What is wrong? This family will be happy now, they will never be apart again."

The rider turned, her voice full of spite, "I am Death. Why does Father act this way? I could have spared this man; I should have given him a chance."

The angel turned on her and answered severely. "How dare you! Father does as he sees fit. Only Father knows how this all ends." She said sweeping her hands across the plains, "You know Father loves us all. How can you speak against him so? Do you think Uncle is right? Should we use them as the toys Uncle believes they are?"

Death turned to her sister and hissed, "Don't be absurd, they are not toys! Did you think that was what I thought? They need to be defended. Father knows this; he knows that Uncle plays freely with them. Yet, he does nothing. I just don't understand."

The angel turned, a sword in her hands and yelled. "Enough! I will not let you continue to speak this way." Death laughed and drew her own sword.

"Sister," Death said, "put your sword away before I take it away from you and spank you with it."

The angel howled, and they both surged forward. Every time their swords struck, lightning and fire hurled from them. Death slashed at her sister who barely blocked the slashes in time. Death kept her sister off balance by taunting and laughing at her. Death could hit her with the flat of the sword at will. She made it clear that she was playing with her, a furious and speedy game of cat and mouse. Throughout, Death sang a song both beautiful and terrible. They circled each other trading blows for countless hours. Finally, Death disarmed her sister with such a blow that it threw her to the ground.

Death turned and stormed to her horse. She swung up to the saddle, turned to her stricken sisters standing around her and with anger and malice in her voice said, "Listen closely, sisters. One day I will no longer stand by and watch. I will find a human worth protecting, and I will not let Father or Uncle have him. That day Father will decide what to do with me. Until then, I have work to do. So stay out of my way!" Death rode off, leaving her sisters in a cloud of dust, shaking their heads in disbelief. She rode in silence for a while.

Finally, she looked down at her hands. They were trembling. "Father!" she said, "Can I talk to you, please?" Moments passed with no answer. "Daddy, was I so wrong that you won't even talk to me?" Again she waited with no answer. She was about to beg him to talk to her when there he was, riding beside her. She couldn't look at him for fear of seeing his disapproval.

He laughed, "Why so bashful now, child? You had a lot to say earlier." Again she started sobbing. Instantly they were sitting on a bench.

He wrapped his arms around her and said, "There, there, child-it's okay."

Through her sobs she said, "It's not fair, Daddy, we could do so much more for them."

He ran his hands through her hair, pushing it from her face. He wiped the tears from her face and sighed, "Yes, we could, but then how would they learn? Remember, they have to choose what path they walk. Just like you have to learn to make the right choices, too." He held her close and kissed her on top of the head. She looked up at him and saw the pride and love in his eyes. She knew then her father still loved her.

Knowingly he smiled and said, "Choose wisely, for you will only get one chance. Your Uncle and I both will try and influence the one you decide on. So, don't be hasty."

He held her and let her cry once more, though this time he knew they were tears of joy. When she was finished, he kissed her cheek and gave her a hug. Again, she was riding her horse. This time she rode head held high, towards the future with hope in her heart.


End file.
